


Let Me Help You

by chilly83



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 07:46:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26848393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chilly83/pseuds/chilly83
Summary: AU UPSTEAD One shot: Hailey and Jay bond in a gun range. If you don't like Upton/Upstead, this story will NOT be your cup of tea!*TRIGGER WARNING* Main character is a victim of stalking. Please don't read if this will upset you.  Also discusses domestic violence (briefly mentioned and not graphic).
Relationships: Jay Halstead & Hailey Upton, Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton
Comments: 6
Kudos: 66





	Let Me Help You

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I took a quick break from my WIP to write this. I really enjoy all the comments and support on the WIP, so I hope you enjoy this as well. I spent Sunday morning at the gun range with my hubby and this idea for an AU one shot popped up! It started as a meet cute, then took an angsty turn. Thank you to my beta Leigh0728 and my mutuals on Tumblr for the support and feedback!

“Do you think next time we can practice with my gun?” Jay heard an unsure voice say in the stall next to him. He had just arrived at the range on that Thursday night and was unpacking his gear when he overheard the conversation next to him.

“All guns are the same, sweetheart. Once you learn one, you know them all.” Jay heard a male voice say, causing a spike in irritation to go through him. “Trust me. I’ve helped a lot of little ladies like yourself.” 

“I was just hoping we could work on my gun so I can learn how to load and handle it.” The voice said again in a polite but pointed tone. 

“And we will when we work up to it. Most women enjoy smaller pistols like a .22 so we will start off with this.” The man responded. “How about we go back to my office and we talk some more about gun safety and your concerns.” Jay heard the man say in a condescending tone. He wasn’t sure what was going on in the stall next to him, but he was fighting every impulse he had to step in. 

Hailey let out a disappointed sigh. She had ended an abusive relationship a few months prior and was now being stalked by her ex, Brian. Despite countless calls to the police and multiple attempts to file reports, nothing was being done. She was still living in fear and desperately wanted to regain control of her life. After Brian had recently broken into her apartment and attacked her, Hailey was finally able to obtain a restraining order against him. Unfortunately, the order was not deterring the harassment and since Hailey couldn’t prove he was violating the order, she was unable to get anymore help from the police. 

Feeling like it was up to herself to ensure her safety, Hailey began taking self defense classes and bought a gun. 

“That’s fine. We can wait until the next time.” Jay heard the female voice say before seeing a shadow move past his stall. He stepped out and looked to his left to see a small woman, standing in front of a gun bag. Her shoulders were slumped, and she was staring off with a look of defeat in her eyes. 

“Excuse me.” Jay said, startling the woman. He quickly held his hands up and apologized. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m in the stall next door. I just overheard your conversation.” He said, pointing towards his stall, watching as the woman began to relax.

“Sorry.” She said as she let out a deep breath. Jay shrugged off her apology and introduced himself.

“I’m Jay.” He said reaching out to shake her hand. The woman ran a hand across her face, causing her sleeve to pull down slightly revealing bruising on her wrist. Jay noticed the marks instantly but averted his eyes. 

“Hailey.” The woman responded, returning the handshake. 

“Like I was saying,” Jay began as he ran a hand across the back of his neck, “I overheard your conversation with your friend.” He paused when Hailey let out a dry scoff.

“That was my shooting instructor.” Hailey said. “Found him on Yelp.” She added with an unimpressed tone.

“Oh, I see.” Jay said with a soft head nod. “Look, I don’t mean to intrude but, if you’re interested, I’d be happy to help you out.” He said, motioning towards her gun. “He was wrong. All guns are not the same. And you were right, as a gun owner, you should know how to properly load, secure, and fire your own weapon.” He felt himself grinning as he saw Hailey’s eyebrows quirk at his statement.

“I bought this for home protection. I’ve shot guns before with my brothers, but they would hand me the gun already loaded and ready to fire. I have never learned how to load one or take care of them.” Hailey said, looking down at the floor. “I watched some YouTube videos about gun safety, and they say you should practice with your weapon, so you get used to handling it. I thought working with an instructor would help me learn all of it quickly.” 

Being a police officer, Jay had a habit of watching people as they talked to him. He noticed the way her eyes looked everywhere except for at him, the way her shoulders slumped as she explained her gun experience, and the hint of urgency in her voice as she tucked her hands into her pants pocket. She was scared.

“I can help you with all of that.” Jay added, lifting his shirt slightly to reveal his badge. “I’m a cop with the Chicago police. I’ve got tons of experience with firearms and teaching people how to handle them." 

Hailey’s eyes widen as she hesitantly took a step back at seeing Jay’s badge.

“Oh, no.” Hailey said as she waved a hand at him. “I don’t want to bother you officer.” She said nervously.

“It’s Jay and it’s not a bother at all.” Jay said with a reassuring smile. “Honestly, it would make me feel a lot better knowing you weren’t learning how to handle a deadly weapon from that idiot.” He said casually, hoping to change her mind. 

Hailey chuckled at the comment.

“He was really bad, wasn’t he?” Hailey asked, cringing as she remembered her lesson.

“Tell you what. You let me help you with this, I promise not to call you sweetheart and you can even use your own gun.” Jay said with a cheeky smile. Hailey took a deep breath as she looked into jay’s eyes. She didn’t know if it was because he was a cop or because she was desperate, but for some reason she felt like she could trust him. 

“How can I say no to that.” Hailey said with a soft smile. 

Jay began by showing Hailey how properly load her gun. They worked on loading bullets into the magazine, chambering a round and how to clear it if the gun jams, the proper way to hold it, how to use the safety and how to secure the weapon when done. They repeated their actions over and over, each time with Jay helping less and less. By the time an hour had passed, Hailey had managed to properly load her gun and how to secure it safely when she was done. 

“Alright, let’s try a few rounds.” Jay said as he put one of his targets up for her. He stood next to her, moving her hands to where they needed to be and correcting her stance. “When you are ready to fire, turn off the safety, put your finger on the trigger and pull.” He said before stepping away from the stall. 

“There you go!” Jay said with pride as Hailey emptied a round at center mass into her target. “How did that feel?” 

Hailey’s face brimmed with pride as she turned to Jay. 

“It felt really good. I feel a lot more comfortable with this.” Hailey said. He encouraged her to keep shooting and before she knew it, Hailey had emptied her magazine. She pushed the safety back on and set the gun down on the counter, waiting for Jay. Once he was at her side, she unloaded the magazine and secured the weapon with his supervision. She looked back to the target and slowly felt her smile fade as she remembered why she had bought the gun in the first place. 

Jay noticed the change in her demeanor as her gaze became fixed on the target in front of her. He could tell something was bothering her but the way she kept pulling on her sleeves to cover her wrists, he knew she didn’t want to talk about. 

“If you want, I can meet you here again tomorrow. I don’t know what your day is like, but I can meet you at the same time.” Jay said casually.

Hailey looked to Jay in surprise as she thought about his offer. 

“I mean, you did really good, but the more you practice, the more comfortable and confident you will feel. This isn’t the sort of thing you learn in a day.” Jay added after sensing her hesitation. 

“I really don’t want to take up your time, especially on a weekend.” Hailey said.

“I don’t mind at all. It's good practice for me too.” Jay said with a reassuring smile. Hailey inhaled sharply as she tried to fight the tears and emotions from spilling out. She had never felt so safe and confident in herself as she did in that gun range. Unable to speak, she smiled and nodded in response. 

“Same time tomorrow?” Jay asked as he walked around to his stall where his gear bag was stored. He pulled out his wallet as Hailey said yes. “This is my card. It has my cell phone on it also.” He said as he handed his card to Hailey. He watched as she read the card with a rueful smile. “If you have to cancel, or if you need help with anything, just give me a call.” Jay said pointedly. 

Hailey’s eyes darted up to him at his statement. Her eyes met his, and she could see the sincerity in them. She looked back down to the card, running a finger over the print.

“You’re a detective.” Hailey said as she read the card to herself again. “Intelligence?”

“Intelligence is the unit I work in.” Jay said.

“Ok, Detective Jay Halstead.” Hailey said with a wide grin on her face. “I will see you tomorrow night at 7.” 

Hailey and Jay ended up meeting at the gun range every day that week, using Hailey’s gun to practice. By Monday, Hailey was going through the motions on her own with Jay standing by in case she needed help. Like Jay had suggested, the more she practiced, the more confident she felt in her skills. By Wednesday, when Hailey began loading her gun, Jay discreetly moved out of her stall and into one next to her. By the time Hailey was loaded up and ready to fire, she realized she had done it all on her own without anyone watching over her shoulder. She heard the shuffling going on in the next stall and went over to see what Jay was doing. She found him setting up his gun and pulling out a couple of targets. 

“You all set?” Jay asked with a smug smile, knowing he had caught Hailey off guard by leaving her alone. Hailey smiled back widely as she took one of the targets and went back to her stall. Over the next hour, Hailey and Jay shot their guns side by side at a bunch of different targets. Jay had her practice grouping shots together, hit specific spots on targets and even let her try out some of his personal guns. Jay couldn’t help but smile as Hailey beamed with pride every time he complimented her shooting. 

When their time is done, Hailey feels a combination of disappointment and adoration for the man who built up her confidence and helped her feel safe. She packed up her gun and walked alongside Jay into the parking lot.

“I really appreciate all of this Jay.” Hailey said sincerely. “I don’t want to take up any more of your time.” She added as she extended a handout to him. 

Jay looked down at her hand and realized she was telling him goodbye. He returned the handshake with disappointment. 

“I’m sure I’ll see you around. I like to come here on weekdays after work.” Jay said as he sadly held on to Hailey’s hand, no longer shaking it. Hailey smiled as she looked down at their hands. 

“I think I might be coming here on weekdays after work as well.” Hailey said coyly. She smiled at Jay one more time before letting go of his hand and walking to her car. 

Hailey woke up the next morning surprisingly relaxed. She stretched her arms as the sun came in and realized she slept through the night for the first time in months without a nightmare. She smiled to herself and got out of bed to start her day, excited for what the future would hold. Unfortunately, the feeling had left by the time she began walking down the street.

As Hailey approached her car, she noticed glass shattered around it on the sidewalk and the street. Since she was coming up the sidewalk from the back of the car, she didn’t realize the glass was from her car windows until she was standing next to it. Hailey took her a labored breath as she spun around looking for Brian. Realizing she was the only person on the street at that time, she pulled out her phone and began looking for Jay’s contact card. Before she could hit dial, she noticed something sitting on her drivers’ seat. She peered in through the door frame and gasped loudly at the photograph she found on her seat. It was of her, with Jay from the night before, when they were shaking hands outside the gun range, printed out as an 8x10 photo. Not wanting to drag Jay into her drama, she instantly scrolled away from his name and dialed the local police station. 

After a few hours at the station, Hailey had spoken to several officers and filled out yet another police report. The police had told her there was a message written on the back of the photo. She asked politely for a photocopy of the photo and message to store with all the documents she had been keeping for evidence. Once she was given the photo, she returned to her apartment and locked herself away for the next 3 days. 

When Monday morning rolled around, Hailey begrudgingly got ready to return to work. She didn’t hate her job, she actually loved it, but Brian had made the world outside her apartment a terrifying place. Hailey began to feel better after learning how to fire a gun, and she felt like she finally had something to look forward to after meeting Jay. 

Hailey spent the day at work distracted by her thoughts. She had planned on going to the gun range that night in hopes of seeing Jay again. But after what happened on Friday and the message written on the photo, she was hesitant. Jay had told her if she ever needed help, she could come to him, but that was just something people said. She had heard it many times before as a kid and over the 5-year relationship with Brian. People always offered to help, but never could. She wanted to believe Jay was different because she was tired of being scared. She was scared her whole life growing up with an abusive alcoholic father. As an adult, she spent years scared of her boyfriend and it’s only gotten worse since she decided to end things. Getting the gun and learning how to use it had given her confidence, but it wasn’t enough to keep her safe. Brian following her to the shooting range proved that. 

Hailey showed up at the gun range later at 7, just as she had planned. When she saw Jay’s truck already there, she let out a sigh of relief. She grabbed the large banker’s box from the passenger’s seat and quickly made her way into the building. After signing in at the front desk, she took a deep breath and entered the indoor range. 

Jay was getting his gun loaded when he heard the door opening. He felt his heart speed up with anticipation, hoping that it was Hailey who had walked in. He took a step out of the stall and was happy to see it was her. His smile faded when he saw her red puffy eyes and the box she was carrying. She walked towards Jay hesitantly, second guessing whether or not it was a good idea to involve him. She stopped a couple of stalls away from Jay and began to turn around. Seeing this, Jay called out to her and quickly walked towards her.

“Hailey.” Jay said as Hailey stood frozen in place. Jay looked down at the box she was holding then back up to her. He felt his heart break at the look of fear which had washed over Hailey. They stood silently as Hailey took a few deep breaths and swallowed hard, preparing to speak. Before she could, Jay reached out and grabbed onto the box she was holding. 

Hailey’s eyes widen when she felt Jay softly tug at the box. She wanted to let go, to let him have the box, to let him help her, but she was too scared to do it. Her eyes shot up to Jay’s as her breath quickened and she fought the urge to run away. Jay saw the flash of fear in Hailey’s eyes and took a deep breath. He nodded softly to her and saw the fear slowly leaving her. Jay watched as she looked back down to the box and watched her hands let go as he pulled the box towards him. He set it down on one of the counters that weren’t being used and looked to Hailey. When she nodded, he opened the box.

Inside, Jay found a folder with medical records that spanned across 5 years from emergency room visits. He read the notes where doctors theorized she had been beaten but Hailey refused to file a report. Jay moved to the next notebook in the box and opened it to find a journal. 

The journal had dates, times, and photos, when possible, where Hailey documented the harassment she endured from her ex-boyfriend. It had times he approached her on the street, times he broke into her apartment, times he broke into her car, and times he went to her work. Tucked into one of the pockets, he found letters written by friends, neighbors and coworkers who had witnessed the harassment and, to help Hailey, had written statements. Under the journal, he found a folder full of call logs, printed out text messages, emails and letters from Brian. The escalation in threats and violence was concerning to Jay and he could not figure out why Hailey was having such a hard time getting help from cops. 

Moving on to the next folder, he found copies of police reports over the last few months that Hailey had filed. The last one, dated from 3 days prior, detailed her car being vandalized and threatening messages being left. He found a copy of her restraining order next. Dated 2 weeks before he met her, the order had a copy of a police report and medical records attached. Jay read how Hailey had come home to find her ex in her apartment waiting for her. She had already set up a system where she called her boss as soon as she walked in the door to let them know she arrived safely. When 20 minutes went by without a call from Hailey, the boss had called 911 to request a wellness check. Hearing the sirens, the ex had attempted to flee but was apprehending close to the scene. 

Jay let a deep breath as he read the ex’s statement from the transcript of the hearing. He realized then why Hailey was scared of him when the first met, and why she was having a hard time getting help.

Brian was a highway patrol officer, stationed outside the Chicago city limits. 

Stalking cases, domestic violence and harassment claims are always hard for police to investigate. Hailey had done a great job keeping documentation, but it seemed like Brian was able to convince responding officers it was a misunderstanding every time they were called. Jay fought back his anger and tears as he read Hailey’s handwriting how she felt like no one could help her and she wasn’t safe. 

Jay took a deep breath and grabbed the last thing from the bottom of the box. His eyes widened as he pulled out the photocopy of a photo of him and Hailey shaking hands outside the gun range. He flipped it over and read the message on the back: If I can’t have you no one will. 

Hailey had spoken or moved the entire time Jay was looking through the box. She watched with silent tears falling as Jay scanned the contents of the box. When he was done, he ran a hand over his face and looked over to Hailey. Hailey met his gaze with fear and desperation in her eyes. Jay swallowed hard and looked away from Hailey while nodding his head. He put the lid back on the box and turned to Hailey.

“Can you grab my bag for me?” Jay asked as he picked up the banker box. Hailey’s lips parted momentarily as she began to ask a question. Before she could get the words out, Jay spoke again. “Hailey. We got to go. Grab my bag please.” He said softly. 

Hailey nodded in understanding and grabbed Jay’s gear bag. She followed him as he walked out to his truck and put the box in the backseat. He turned to Hailey, opening the passenger side door, and held it open for her. 

“Where are we going?” Hailey asked hesitantly as she looked into the truck.

“I want you to meet my Sargent.” Jay said as he motioned towards the seat. 

Hailey looked down and nodded as she climbed into the truck. Jay moved to shut the door, then suddenly stopped and opened it again. Hailey looked over to him in confusion, worried he had changed his mind. Jay could read the confusion on her face and reached for her hand.

“I am going to fix this, Hailey. My Sargent, he knows how to deal with these situations.” Jay said firmly as he squeezed her hand.

Hailey closed her eyes as the tears rolled down and let out a deep breath of relief, feeling for the first time in years, she was free. 

**Author's Note:**

> I know it’s an open ending makes it seem like there is more, but I wasn’t planning on adding to it. Maybe one day I might add a short epilogue, but if i did this, it wouldn’t be for a few weeks. I hope you guys enjoyed! 


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